Discussion of the archaeological ethics surrounding the collecting of antiquities.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Planet Princeton Comments

Source: MiBAC

Planet Princetoncomments on the return ("Princeton University Returns Art to Italy", January 26, 2012).

But what is more interesting is the response from Robert Steven Bianchi and I give a flavour here:

The repatriation of these objects is absurd in the extreme ... the Italians cannot take care of their own so they launch witch hunts against those who cherish, protect, preserve, and educate the world about that heritage in order to conceal their own disregard for and indifference toward their own cultural property.

Why did Princeton hand over this material? Had the objects been known before 1970? Where had the architectural fragments been found?

1 comment:

hmm,intresting comments by dr.bianchi.i have seen him a few times on tv and allways found him to be very knowledgeable and an intresting character[at least that is how he comes across on the tv]he is highly respected and one wonders if he realy knows the full facts of the returns,after all,some of the pieces were stolen!!i think he may have made this comment off the cuff without knowing the full facts.kyri.ps,i enjoy watching him on tv but my favourite is bettany hughes,no offence to dr.bianchi but i would much rather watch her presenting a history program.

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About Me

David Gill is Professor of Archaeological Heritage and Director of Heritage Futures at University Campus Suffolk. He was a Rome Scholar at the British School at Rome and a Sir James Knott Fellow at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was subsequently part of the Department of Antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, and Reader in Mediterranean Archaeology, Swansea University. He holds the Archaeological Institute of America's Outstanding Public Service Award (2012).